


Super Secret Christmas Coffee

by Anthrobrat



Series: Whatever This Is (McShifty) [1]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Episode: s01e06 Bastogne, Foxholes, Friendship, Gen, Maybe more - Freeform, Yes I’m aware it’s September, cold days, warm drinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26609248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthrobrat/pseuds/Anthrobrat
Summary: A tiny ficlet about my fave not-quite-ship rarepair, Shifty and McClung, drinking coffee in a foxhole.
Relationships: Shifty Powers & Earl McClung
Series: Whatever This Is (McShifty) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1990171
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	Super Secret Christmas Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks Muccamukk for the prompt, and Lara for the quick beta (although mistakes leftover are mine)
> 
> Per usual, these characters are based off the HBO depictions, not the real life men for whom I have the utmost respect.

McClung had taken to collecting sticks since Easy had shown up outside Bastogne. He seemed to have a sixth sense about these things, so no one really questioned it when he would break off a twig and stow it in his pocket. Sometimes he would mutter to himself about brittleness and the damn fog, but mostly everyone assumed it was some sort of childhood superstition and left him to his devices. 

On Christmas, what was their sixth day under siege, when the air felt like it couldn’t get any colder and their bodies were worn down from the constant shivering, Shifty finally discovered what it was that McClung had been up to with the twigs. The last of the Sterno had gone out with Smokey during the Christmas Eve battle, and the front line guys were having trouble even heating their coffee. 

“Shift, I’m gonna need you to cover me in just a minute, and then we have maybe five before someone comes looking, so we’ve gotta get this just right. Just right, Shift.”

“Earl, I don’t rightly know what you’re even talking about. Get what right?”

“Our coffee fire. I’m gonna have to make it in the foxhole. You know they’ll all come running.”

“Ok Earl, whatever you say. I’ll keep watch for ya,” Shifty whispered back before peeking his head over the top of the foxhole. 

“Haven’t had a hot drink in two days. Gonna be glorious, Shift. Glorious. Christmas Coffee.”

McClung went about constructing a tiny tent out of his twigs and then held his Zippo to it. A small blaze began to eat at the kindling and he quickly put his cup of melting snow over the flame while blowing gently to keep it going. He held the cup with one hand while adding a few more twigs to each side as the flame grew.

Meanwhile, Shifty kept an eye out for any soldiers who may have caught wind, even though he was sure the only soldier with a good enough nose to smell their fire was the one making it. Anyway, he doubted Earl would hoard a coffee fire, but the secret made him smile. A quick Christmas coffee between pals in the midst of this misery sounded like a mighty fine idea. 

“How’s it coming, Earl?” Shifty whispered over his shoulder.

“Gonna get this water as close to boiling as this tiny flame will let me, I tell ya,” is all he got back, but the snow was quickly melting inside the metal cup and the flame was going strong, so Shifty had hope. Thankfully it was still early, so there were close to no men milling about, and a Captain probably wouldn’t need their fire.

Finally, after what felt like an hour, McClung hummed in appeased glory and tapped Shifty on the shoulder. He bent his head down to whisper “Merry Christmas, Shift,” in his ear as he passed the cup around so Shifty could have a sip. 

“I think we could probably sit to enjoy this, if you’d like,” Shifty said as he blew at the steam and took a quick sip. It burned the roof of his mouth - a feeling he never thought he would revel in - before the heat slid down into his tummy and then all the way out into the tips of his toes. 

McClung backed up to the wall of the foxhole and Shifty followed him down, careful not to spill a single drop. They found a comfortable angle at which they could huddle together with all four of their hands around the cup. The space between them warmed with the steam and their body heat, and for the briefest of moments Shifty held a peculiar thought that maybe it would all be okay. 

“I smell coffee!” suddenly rang out from another foxhole.

“Quick!” Shifty whispered, wide-eyed, as he pushed the cup toward McClung, giggling. Earl took as big a sip as he could given the temperature and passed it back. They spent the next few minutes trying their darndest to get the coffee down while keeping their snickering to a minimum. 

When finally the coffee was gone, they leaned their heads together and held onto the cup until the last of its warmth radiated into their soon-to-be ice cold fingers. When Hoobler finally stumbled over to their foxhole, the fire and coffee were gone. 

“I know it was you, I can smell it, and I can’t believe you didn’t share,” was all Hoobler had to say about it, but when McClung produced a lone cigarette for him his ire changed quickly into gratitude. 

As Hoob walked away, Shifty whispered, “thanks Earl, Merry Christmas,” and leaned his head down onto McClung’s shoulder to capture the very last bit of warmth.


End file.
